Shots Fired: Sequel to Search and Destroy
by Victor4418
Summary: This story follows the previous one I wrote. Hiccup must find Viggo and conclude their fight once and for all. He's angry and scared and just wants the fight to be over. He must trust his instincts and his friends to help him through these tough times. The question he faces: is he ready to accept the help he is given or should he try to do things on his own.


_**Author's Note:**_

_**I DO NOT OWN HOW TO TRAIN YOUR DRAGON, THE CHARACTERS, OR ANY OF THE MATERIALS.**_

On that note, I just wanted to give a heads up that Hiccup might be a little out of character as I made him really angry in this story. He's just suffered trauma at the hands of Viggo and while he generally has a forgiving nature, I wanted to make it seem more realistic about how anyone would feel after suffering that kind of abuse. So, if he seems angrier and more brooding than usual, that's my handiwork.

Also, I apologize for any spelling or grammatical errors, this was reviewed many times by me, but after 19K + words, it all starts to look the same to me. It took me a long time to come up with this story, many changes had to be made as I felt that some of the scenes were just not good enough to be in this story. Hopefully I did the characters and the story justice! Anyway, enjoy the story!

**Previously in Search and Destroy:**

Hiccup and Astrid have discovered Viggo has escaped from the island he was exiled to by the Berkians. Viggo is back with his Armada with the Dragon Eye and plans to end Hiccup's life once and for all. Stoic refuses to let Hiccup out of his sight and leave for the Edge. Hiccup is still on the mend from the torture inflicted on him by Viggo.

Hiccup and Astrid flew back to Berk, both concerned with their new discovery. With Viggo able to do as he pleased, the people of Berk were no longer safe. The small comfort they had already had from exiling Viggo would disappear and it was their own fault for simply not killing the man that hated them so much. Astrid knew Hiccup was blaming himself, even though he hadn't been present for the sentencing when Viggo was read his crimes. She knew he would think about how he could have done things differently, even though they knew he would never want Viggo to have been killed, despite the horrible and cruel things Viggo had done to the boy when he and Hiccup's roles had been reversed. Knowing he needed reassurance; she flew closer to him.

"Hiccup, we'll be okay. Viggo can't hurt us on Berk. It's our home. We won't let him win." Astrid stated, trying to incite his warrior spirit instead of his depressive moping.

"You can't promise that Astrid. People will get hurt, die even, and we could have avoided it if we had just kept him under watch on Berk." Hiccup replied.

"The people wouldn't have wanted him on Berk, and you know that. Our choices were to kill him or remove him and we chose the latter." Astrid reminded him. "You know you couldn't kill Viggo and we wanted to see him suffer for the actions he took against you. Killing him was giving him the easy way out."

"Killing him might have been kinder, but it also would have avoided this new problem. We don't know when he escaped, where he's gone, if he's heading to Berk right now, nothing. There are so many unknowns and all we can do is pray that he doesn't catch us unaware." Hiccup responded.

"We're not unaware now. We'll tell the village what we know, and we'll prepare. Viggo can't hide forever, his ego won't allow that. Once we find him, we crush him and this time, we either keep him on Berk or kill him. I know you don't like the idea of killing, but we have to solve this problem once and for all. Otherwise he'll keep hurting us and our dragons." Astrid said as she ran her hand lovingly on Stormfly's neck. "We can't just think of our own desires anymore Hiccup. You're about to be chief to people and dragons alike. What would you do if this was your decision to make? Would you keep him alive to continue to try and hunt Toothless?" Astrid posed her question, knowing she had hit a nerve when Hiccup frowned.

Hiccup looked down at Toothless who had responded by twitching his ears when Astrid said his name. He couldn't imagine life without his best friend. Before Toothless, life had been miserable and there was no guarantee he would even have lived this long without his friend. No, he wouldn't want Viggo to ever come near Toothless again. Still, to kill someone was an act that couldn't be taken back. There were no do-overs. "No. I wouldn't want him hurting anyone I love. Dragon or person. But it's not up to us to kill him either. That's for the gods to decide." Hiccup replied.

The young chief-to-be contemplated the situation before them. He knew that there would be tough decisions ahead and that one day he would have to make a choice he didn't like. He just didn't expect it to be so soon. Luckily, his father was still chief, but that didn't mean Hiccup wouldn't be able to leave the decision solely up to him. His father would expect him to participate to show the people of Berk that he could protect the village and dole out punishments when it was required.

The duo flew back silently, the dragons making occasional chirps and roars at each other as they flew. Neither rider paid attention to them, dwelling on their next move when they told the village the bad news. Hiccup knew Stoick would be furious and probably do something drastic. He just wasn't sure what it would be yet. Astrid was more concerned about Hiccup. He was still recovering from his previous trauma dealt by Viggo. She wasn't sure he was ready to face him again so soon. She could see how he held his left arm that it still wasn't fully healed. He had just gained recovery of his leg from when it had been broken. The scars of Viggo's insignia were still healing on his other arm. He had been prohibited by Gothi from lifting anything too heavy and he was forbidden to use his flight suit until she knew his arms were fully recovered. He still tired easily when he had pushed himself too hard and he couldn't walk as long of distances as he used to. She worried that he hid more of the pain than he let on and cursed him silently for his stubbornness.

By the end of the flight, Hiccup was exhausted from flying. He stretched his leg after getting out of the saddle, rubbing some of the knots out. He rolled his shoulders and neck as well to relieve some of the tension. Astrid watched him as she helped herself down from Stormfly's back. The two quickly took care of their dragons; feeding them, checking them for any injuries they might have gotten while flying, and refilling their water station before heading to the main hall. Hiccup walked in, staying to the sides of the wall to avoid interrupting the meeting that was taking place. He held onto Astrid's hand, pulling her with him to let her know she was welcome to stay and didn't have to leave, even if she wasn't supposed to be there because she was not a part of the council. The two teens waited for Stoick to catch their eye, then sat in a corner as he finished giving orders to the men present. After dismissing them, he waived the teens towards him, showing that they could approach him.

"Dad, we need to tell you something."

"Go on, I'm listening."

"Viggo escaped the island." Hiccup simply stated. Astrid could have smacked him for dropping that bombshell without any warning, but she didn't get the chance as Stoick jumped out of his chair in fury.

"WHAT?! How?! What were you doing at that island? No one was supposed to go near it!" Stoick roared.

"We went to check on him to make sure he was still there, but we couldn't find him. We're not sure how he escaped but Hiccup has a theory on it." Astrid answered.

"Viggo had mentioned having trained Scaldrons retrieve the Dragon Eye from the water when he shot it from Astrid's saddle bag the day I was… taken." Astrid and Stoick both paled at his choice of words but let him continue. "If he had a way to get in contact with his men or the dragons themselves, he could easily have used them to leave the island." Hiccup theorized.

"We have to find him. Now. He is not going to cause Berk anymore trouble. I will see to that." Stoic stated. "In the meantime, I want a village meeting set up in the main square in an hour. Spread the news. Everyone is to attend. We'll discuss this little trip later Hiccup. Now go." Stoic ordered. Hiccup knew he was in trouble, but he didn't think it would be too serious considering he had just saved the village from what could have been a surprise attack. Hiccup and Astrid left the hall, alerting villagers as they passed of the town meeting. Soon everyone was arriving in the square, wondering what the chief was going to tell them. Village meetings usually were somber occasions with few of them bringing good news. Hiccup and Astrid chose to sit on one of the house roofs at the back of the square with their dragons lounging behind them. They didn't want to bring attention to themselves when Stoick made the announcement. The other riders, who had arrived at the square a few minutes late, decided to copy them and sat on the nearby houses as well.

"Hey Hiccup! Any idea what your dad is going to say?" Fishlegs asked as he rubbed Meatlug under the chin.

"Yes, but I shouldn't be sharing it. That's my dad's job." Hiccup replied.

"Hah. You don't know what he's going to say. That's why you can't tell us." Snotlout taunted. "If I was the chief's son, I would know everything that was going on in the village." Astrid shot him a glare and shook her axe menacingly at him. "Keep talking and you won't know what'll hit you upside your empty head." She threatened. Snotlout gulped and nervously chuckled before attending to Hookfang.

"Oh, I know what he's going to say! He's going to say I'm the new leader of the dragon riders since Hiccup is going to be chief!" Ruffnut exclaimed.

The group just stared at her, wondering how she could be so dumb. That is until Tuffnut spoke. "My dear sister, you are absolutely wrong. It is I that will be the new leader. Everyone knows I am so much better than peg-leg Hiccup"

"Oh, that is it!" Astrid went to jump at him, yelling as she swung her axe. Luckily for Tuffnut, who dove behind his dragon screaming at the top of his lungs like a girl, Hiccup managed to wrap his arms around her waist and pull her down next to him. "See! What did I tell you?" Tuffnut yelled as his dragon screeched in agreement with his master's sentiment. Astrid tried to break free of Hiccup's grip as Snotlout burst into laughter. Hiccup pulled her down beside him and looked at her with a disappointed frown on his face. "Leave him be Astrid, he's not worth it. Tuffnut's just being an idiot." Hiccup responded. "I am not." Tuffnut exclaimed from behind Barf and Belch. Hiccup glared at him before turning himself and Astrid away from the blonde idiot.

"Alright, everyone quiet down." Stoick demanded, bringing everyone's attention to him. "I've just been given news that Viggo has escaped his island." The whole village erupted into shouting and anger as the Berkians realized what this meant. All the dragon riders except Astrid and Hiccup had their mouths dropped open in shock. Snotlout turned to Hiccup, "You knew this happened. YOU told your dad Viggo escaped!" Snotlout stated.

"Very good Snotlout. Who wants a cookie for being so smart?" Astrid replied tauntingly.

"Why didn't you tell us?!" Snotlout demanded.

"He already told you why. Don't you listen?" Astrid smirked as Snotlout got riled up by her comment.

"If Viggo's escaped, then we have to go find him." Fishlegs commented. "We can't let him get near Berk. Think of what he'll do to the dragons!"

"I know Fishlegs, but we have to wait and see what my dad wants to do first. We can't just take off and leave the village unprotected." Hiccup replied, sighing as he watched Stoick try to get everyone's attention again. After five minutes of shouting, the villagers didn't look like they would be listening anytime soon. Hiccup took this opportunity to have Toothless shoot some plasma blasts in the sky, startling everyone into silence. _So much for avoiding attention_, Hiccup thought.

"Now, we know Viggo will probably come here as soon as he has his armada ready. We need to prepare for an attack. That means we need to stock up on food, get the weapons ready, and fortify the buildings. We'll need to set traps and ensure that everything is ready for war. This time, Viggo will not be treated so kindly." Stoick stated, inciting fear into the younger people and fire and vengeance into the older people. "I want round the clock shifts; everyone will report to Gobber on getting their schedule and jobs. No one rests until the village is ready." Stoick ordered. The villagers began to line up at Gobber's shop, grabbing various tools, weapons, and their assignments from the smithy while Stoick barked out more orders. Hiccup saw this was their chance to talk to his dad about the patrols and jumped onto Toothless before they both dropped to the ground. The dragon riders mounted their dragons and dropped down to the ground as well before approaching the chief.

"Dad, when do you want us to go on patrol?" Hiccup asked.

"Patrol? There will be no patrol. I don't want any dragons in the air. They could be caught by a surprise attack if we aren't careful and shot down. No one is to fly until we finish dealing with Viggo. I want you six to help fortify buildings, carry the heavier items around town with your dragons, and anything else that will help protect the village." Stoick answered.

"Dad, you can't be serious. We need to send scouts, ensure Viggo isn't sneaking up on us. Be an early alert system for the village if we do spot him. We can't do that stuck here on Berk." Hiccup argued.

"I don't want an argument son. No one is flying, including you and Toothless. End of discussion." Stoick replied firmly.

"We don't have to fly far Chief! Just far enough that we can see where the scouts can't." Snotlout exclaimed as he puffed out his chest. Hookfang and I could personally spot Viggo before anyone else if given the chance!" Snotlout boasted. Astrid shot him a murderous glare as the chief shook his head in frustration before she approached him.

"Chief, Hiccup's right. We need to be able to see when Viggo is coming and not when he is already here. We would have a better chance if-"Astrid started to say but was cut off by Stoick. "Enough. I will not be lectured by a group of teens, especially when I have already given my orders. Hiccup may be next in line for chief, and you may very well be his future bride potentially Astrid, but neither of you are in charge right now. As for the rest of you, Hiccup may be the leader of your group, but **I AM THE CHIEF.** My orders are final. Now go before I get really angry." Stoick demanded, storming off to check on the progress of some men who were adding giant crossbows to the roof of their house.

Furious, Hiccup stormed off with Astrid close behind him. "Hiccup, wait up!" The other dragon riders followed, but one look at Hiccup and the riders felt they might be needed elsewhere. They quickly scrambled off to assist the villagers with fortifications while Astrid chased after Hiccup. She followed him into the woods, watching him stomp harshly trough the shrubs, flicking branches to the side and overall taking his frustrations out on the surrounding area. She chose to hang back with Toothless as he watched his rider with confusion and concern in his eyes. He looked at her for reassurance, but all Astrid could do was shrug her shoulders to show she felt the same way. She had seen Hiccup this mad only a couple of times and knew it was a waiting game with the young man. He would talk when he was ready. She would just have to stay by his side to let him know she would be there for him while he cooled down.

"My father must know it's safer to have us patrol then stay here on Berk. So why keep us grounded?" Hiccup snapped out of the blue after fifteen minutes of silence.

"Maybe he wants to ensure our safety? Viggo isn't someone to take lightly." Astrid replied.

"My father just wants to keep an eye on me. He's still treating me like a child. He doesn't see that I've recovered. He only sees me as I was before I met Toothless." Hiccup commented, chucking some stones at a nearby tree. "I have done more than he realizes. I've fought Viggo at the Edge how many times? I've befriended how many of our allies and provided us with valuable resources. I found the Dragon Eye and solved part of its mystery. Heck, I'm the one who trained dragons in the first place and befriended them! I am not a child! Why does he insist on not treating me as a man? I'm going to be chief soon and I can't afford to have him babying me in front of the villagers when I do become chief!"

"I think Stoick treats you as any worried father would if their child was in potential danger. He does want to keep an eye on you, but only because he's worried. There have been too many times where Stoick thought he would lose you Hiccup. Can you really fault him for wanting to keep you safe? Especially so soon after the last incident with Viggo?" Astrid tried to place her arm on his shoulder, to reassure him that things would work themselves out. Hiccup shrugged it off and stood up, still furious.

"You're doing it too! You're coddling me just as the rest of the village has been doing. I don't need a babysitter; I don't need to have my hand held. I can take care of myself!" Hiccup stormed off with Toothless following him leaving Astrid to sit in the dirt stunned by his outburst. Hiccup continued to stomp away from Berk, furious at the injustice of the day so far. Viggo was loose, his father wasn't taking him seriously, and now Astrid wanted him to just sit and twiddle his thumbs while Viggo came closer and closer to Berk with the intention of hurting everyone he knew and loved. Well he wasn't going to allow that to happen on his watch. He was going to stop Viggo before he could do anything towards Berk. His only problem was figuring out how to leave Berk and then how to stop Viggo.

As he reached his favorite thinking spot, he plopped himself on the ground and thought of the dark times he had endured while he was with Viggo, remembering the torture he had endured to keep everyone safe. He shuddered in fear and pictured the same things happening to Stoick, to Astrid, and to Toothless. He knew he couldn't watch them get hurt, but how could he prevent it without getting killed in the process. Toothless could sense Hiccup's distress and approached his friend nuzzling the young lad before resting his head in Hiccup's lap. Hiccup absently stroked the dragon's head, slowly calming down until he could think of what he wanted to do next.

Eventually Hiccup stood up and leaned on Toothless as the blood rushed to his legs, making them hurt slightly as a tingly sensation traveled throughout his legs. Once the sensation had passed, Hiccup walked beside his dragon back towards the village, still contemplating his dilemma. Exhausted by and the long trek back home, Hiccup barely made it to his bed when he got home, collapsing in a heap and immediately falling asleep as soon as hit head hit his pillow. He hadn't bothered to change out of his muddy clothes, too tired to care that he would have to wash his bedding in the morning. Stoick checked on his son when he came home about an hour later. He found his son sprawled across the bed, snoring. Sighing that he hadn't had the chance to talk with Hiccup after their argument, he made sure that he blew out the candles around the house and went to bed himself.

Morning came and an exhausted Hiccup stretched and groaned as sore muscles protested against the movement. He changed his clothes after using the bathroom, brushed his teeth and hair, and went downstairs with Toothless to grab some breakfast. Stoick had already left for the morning, choosing to avoid another fight with his son. He left a note explaining that Hiccup was to remain on Berk, no patrols were allowed, and that he was to help with village fortifications. Furious that his dad had the nerve to tell him what to do in a note, he threw the paper in the fireplace and watched with satisfaction as it burnt to a crisp.

Once outside, Hiccup caught sight of Astrid helping a lady carry laundry from the house to the wash station. The woman was heavily pregnant and had three little ones under the age of four with her. One was in her arms, the other two were running like hooligans between people, shouting and laughing with glee, despite the yells of the villagers to settle down. The mother apologized profusely while Astrid giggled before placing the laundry down and snatching the two kids up. The kids shrieked with joy and the woman smiled before gently scolding the children. Once they had settled down, Astrid placed them back on the ground and finished the trek with the mother to the wash station. Laundry delivered, Astrid said farewell to the mother and walked away before she spotted Hiccup leaning against a post smiling at her. Embarrassed that she had been caught in a "family moment" as many of the villagers would say, she stomped past him, nose in the air.

"Good morning milady." Hiccup said as he followed her.

"Milady is it? What about yesterday huh? You have some nerve talking to me so plainly after you yelled at me and then left." Astrid replied, grabbing a basket of weapons outside of the smith shop and delivering them to a nearby house.

"I'm sorry Astrid. I was an idiot. I realized you were only trying to help, and I took my anger out on you. Please forgive me." Hiccup pleaded, thoroughly abashed.

Astrid could see he meant the apology and wanted the day to start on a good note, so she decided to forgive him, just this once mind you. "Apology accepted. Now, what are we doing today?" Astrid asked as she walked with him through the village square. "Did you talk to your dad about continuing our patrols?"

"Not yet. We didn't see each other after yesterday's incident. I was on my way to see him now to talk about it." Hiccup replied.

"Alright, after your talk with your dad, we could do something together. We could fortify the west wall, repair the roads to the north hideout, sharpen tools, or help with food storage."

"Sure. I'll check in with my father about patrols and then we can fortify the wall." Hiccup answered, trying to smile to reassure her that he was no longer upset with her. It looked more like a grimace though and Astrid stared at him, concerned.

"Sounds good. I guess I'll see you soon." Astrid said as she walked away. Hiccup and Toothless made the trek to the great hall, some of Hiccup's fury at his father still residing at the back of his mind from yesterday's fight and the note this morning.

"Ah Hiccup. Good to see you. I tell you the villagers are going crazy. It's been non-stop bickering since we began fortifications. I hope this whole thing with Viggo blows over soon. The villagers always get antsy before a battle." Stoick said as he sat down at the chief table and drank mead from his goblet. "Anyway, how are things going with the riders?"

"Er- well I guess." Hiccup said, not really wanting to admit he had no clue what they were up to. "Astrid was helping some of the villagers with moving things from their house last I saw." Hiccup confessed, hoping it would be enough to cover up his lack of knowledge on the riders. "Anyway, I came to see how things were going on your end. I also thought now might be the time to discuss the possibilities of patrols." Hiccup finished, watching as his father put the goblet down and glared at him.

"Hiccup, I told you no patrols. I expect you to obey that order." Stoick snarled, a frown on his face.  
"Dad, you can't keep the village safe if you don't know what's coming for you!" Hiccup argued.

"I know what's coming. Viggo and I have fought many times before. I know his tricks."

"Dad, he's extremely cunning. You can't know all of his tricks. I'm telling you he has something he hasn't used yet, and we'll not be prepared for it. At least let us circle the island within sight of the lookouts. That will give us a small extension of our viewing range to better prepare for Viggo. We can see further than the lookouts can when we fly."

"That may be true, but no one can help you in time if you're attacked while away from the island. I won't take that risk with any of you."

"Why? You've let us do patrols before. We even live off the island. Why is it now that you've decided we can't help our village the best way we know how?" Hiccup demanded. "It's me isn't it? You think I can't handle myself!"

"Enough! How dare you accuse me, your father and chief, of such cowardly assumptions. I'm doing this for your own safety! I don't want another word out of you Hiccup. So, help me if I see you or the other riders off the ground, you'll all be thrown in the cells until this battle with Viggo is over!" Stoick roared. "Now get out before I do throw you in there right here and now!"

Hiccup stormed away from his father, marched through town, and headed to the spot where he first met Toothless. His father's answer was all he needed to strengthen his resolve to leave the island. It had been an idea he had been thinking over yesterday before he had switched his focus to dealing with Viggo. His father just didn't understand how Viggo fought. He needed to make sure he could Stop Viggo before Viggo ever got the chance to get to Berk. The flashes of yesterday's images of Astrid and the other riders getting hurt came back to his mind. No. He would stop this fame now while they were ahead. His father would not be allowed to treat him like a child anymore. He was a grown man and he would stop Viggo on his own. Slowly the ideas began to form in the genius' mind. He could see everything put into motion and knew this plan would work. The first thing he needed to do was pack for the journey without arousing suspicion. That was simple enough for him. His only concern was Astrid. She was smart, observant, and would tell in a heartbeat if he tried putting himself at risk. He would need to find a way to keep her occupied and far away from him. All he had to do was set up the second part of his plan. With a firm resolve, he left his spot and went to the wall to help Astrid fortify them as he had promised before heading home to begin his preparations so he could leave Berk when the opportunity presented itself.

A week passed on Berk in similar fashion. Everyone was prepping for war and were all occupied with several tasks. Each morning Astrid would ask Hiccup if he was available and every time he answered that he had to work with his father on supervising the village duties. He would find time in the afternoon to meet with her and assist with the task she was working on or just sit together on their cliff. Astrid noticed he was more reserved than usual and felt that he was up to something, but he hadn't suggested anything to her or made comments that aroused her suspicion, so she simply let him be. He looked more tired and his hands would shake sometimes when she mentioned something about Viggo and how they would face him. She felt that the memories of Viggo were still fresh and decided to drop the topic after three days of trying to come up with a plan. Tonight, Hiccup was morose, hardly eating and he kept staring into his mug or off into the distance.

"Hiccup, is there something bothering you?" Astrid asked as she sat down next to him at the fire, they were cooking fish over.

"I've just been thinking, that's all." Hiccup replied, giving a small smile to try and reassure her.

"Thinking about what?" She pried, scooting closer to him, knowing it would unnerve him and most likely get him to answer the question.

"Er. I don't want to talk about it yet. They're just ideas right now. I can tell you when I have a plan ready." Hiccup said, pulling away from her. "Listen, I need to go rest. I'm pretty tired after today." Hiccup pretended to yawn, hoping it was believable enough to fool her.

"Alright Hiccup. Just remember I'm always here to talk. I'll see you tomorrow. Sleep well." Astrid said, watching the young warrior head to his home.

"Night Astrid." Hiccup waved as he took one last look at her. At home, Hiccup quickly pulled out his knapsack full of supplies and double-checked he had everything he needed. Once he was set, he called Toothless over and together they snuck out the back window to set up the last part of their plan. He couldn't leave tonight, as his father would be suspicious if he came home to find Hiccup wasn't there. He also knew that his father would expect him to leave at night, if he was really going to leave at all. It had been hard work trying to reassure his dad he was staying and waiting a whole week before putting his plan into action. He felt Stoick had just begun to think Hiccup really was staying on Berk and that he had started to let his guard down. Feeling slightly guilty at what he was about to do, he and Toothless went around the island for the next hour, finalizing the plan. They returned home and both fell into a dreamless slumber, the first since Hiccup had started having his nightmares.

The following morning was busy again in the village. Most of the houses now had crossbows attached and the walls had been fortified. The dragon riders had been lifting various pieces of equipment across town and were helping Gobber with distributing the weapons he had been producing. Astrid noticed that Hiccup had left very early this morning, claiming chiefing duties again. She wasn't sure what Hiccup was up to, but she missed his company. The twins and Snotlout were getting on her nerves and Fishlegs was rambling about things she couldn't understand again. Why she had to be the only sane person in the group besides Hiccup baffled her to no end. Suddenly a shouting match began in the middle of the square and all the villagers turned to the source of the noise.

"You took my hammer! It's missing and you had it last! Now give it back!"

"For the last time, I put your hammer in your toolbox! You must be blind to have missed it."

"Blind am I? I know I can see well enough to spot a thief when I see one!"

"Who are you calling a thief? You wouldn't know what a hammer looked like if it hit you on the head!"

"Alright, what's going on here?" Gobber shouted as he went to break the fight up. Meanwhile, another shouting match had begun at the docks. The fishing nets had been damaged, and no one would confess to destroying them and wasting the fishermen's time to get the food they needed to stock up on. The dragon riders went to settle the dispute, which meant the twins and Snotlout went to egg the fight on while Astrid and Fishlegs had to handle the damage control.

While the two fights were happening, another incident occurred where three different flocks of sheep went running through the village square, terrified and causing more chaos. Carts were knocked over, children were running and laughing, women were screaming, and the men were trying to herd the traumatized sheep back to their pens. The entire village of Berk was in an uproar and Hiccup watched from a distance as his father tried to get everything back under control from his hiding spot in the trees nearby.

"Alright Bud, here's our chance. Let's go." Hiccup whispered as he climbed onto the dragon's back. As he flew away from Berk, he felt a twinge of guilt at leaving his friends behind, knowing they would be furious when they discovered he had caused all the problems they were currently handling and that he had left them on Berk instead of flying on another adventure. Hiccup could only hope they would forgive him when they finally found out what happened. Once they were far enough away that they could no longer see Berk, Hiccup began to clear those thoughts from his mind and began to laugh at the feeling of freedom he was feeling while flying on Toothless.

"We did it Toothless! We actually did it!" Hiccup cheered as Toothless gave a delighted roar. "Now let's see. If I were Viggo, where would I go?" Hiccup pondered aloud as he pulled out a map of the islands. He traced his fingers over various spots, weighing the pros and cons of each location and the probability that Viggo was there before he finally laid eyes on the black-market isle. He knew Viggo would want to recruit more men and possibly buy more weapons, supplies, and dragons to use in his attack against Berk. He could obtain one or all of those items at one convenient location. Betting that Viggo would not go himself but hide near the island, Hiccup steered Toothless in that direction, planning how he would not only retrieve the Dragon Eye, but cripple Viggo as well so that he couldn't come to Berk.

"Where is that boy?" Stoick growled as he returned to the main hall, having finally resolved the different problems of the village three hours later. The nets were being repaired, although the men were not too happy about it, the hammer had been found in Gobber's shop though no one knew how it got there, and all the sheep had been rounded up. Wondering how the day could end up so horrible, he began to think about his son and their fight. He had wanted to find Hiccup and resolve it peacefully, but he hadn't been able to find Hiccup anywhere. He had asked the villagers he passed on his way to the hall, but on one had seen him either. Thinking he might be grabbing lunch with the riders, he decided to grab a bowl himself and go look for him. Seeing that the riders were eating at a table near the back, Stoick approached them.

"Have any of you seen Hiccup?" Stoick asked as he approached them.

"No, I thought he was with you." Fishlegs replied.

"We've hardly seen him all week." Snotlout commented as he stuffed more food into his face.

"Maybe he died?" Ruffnut asked as she put Tuffnut in a chokehold, emphasizing her point as he gasped for air.

"He told me you had him doing some chiefing duties this week." Astrid answered. Ignoring the twins.

"He did, did he? Well I haven't been having him do that. No one's seen him and now I'm getting mad. He and I need to talk. Can you five split up and look for him?" Stoick asked the riders.

"Sure. We'll let the other villagers know too." Fishlegs answered. Stoick nodded and walked away, leaving the riders to finish their meal.

"Where do you suppose Hiccup could be?" Fishlegs asked.

"Probably working on another dumb invention in his room." Snotlout commented as he bit into his lamb chop.

"Maybe he decided to go test his flight suit?" Tuffnut suggested.

"He better not have! Gothi forbade him from doing so." Astrid growled, the mere thought of him doing something so stupid infuriating her.

"He could be at the beach, thinking." Fishlegs suggested. "I'm sure he has a lot on his mind right now."

"Who cares? I'm just glad he's not telling us what to do!" Tuffnut said as he cuddled Chicken. Astrid threw her cup at his head, hitting him dead center in the forehead and knocking him off his chair. No one bothered to help him up as he complained about Astrid being unfair.

"Let's go find Hiccup before Stoick becomes even more furious." Astrid commented as she stood up from the table, leading the way into the village. The others followed her, splitting up into different directions to look for their leader. Two hours later, they returned to the main hall empty-handed.

"No sign of him anywhere! Where could he be?" Astrid demanded as she slammed her fist onto the table.

"Do you think…. that he left Berk?" Fishlegs asked meekly.

"Hiccup wouldn't leave without us, he needs us!" Snotlout laughed. "That twig can't survive on his own."

"Fishlegs, I hope you're wrong, but I have a feeling you may be right. We have to tell the chief." Astrid said.

"I'm not telling Stoick his son is missing." Snotlout stated.

"Me neither" said Ruffnut.

"I can't do it." Fishlegs answered.

"Well someone has to tell him." Astrid commented, looking at the last member of their group.

Everyone also turned to look at him, watching as he picked the wax out of his ear. "What?" Tuffnut asked. They dragged him to Stoick and then stepped back as he went to break the news. "Hey Chief, the gang wanted me to tell you that Hiccup's not on Berk."

"HICCUP'S WHAT?!" Stoick yelled loud enough the whole village heard.

"Not on Berk. As in gone. Vamoosed. Bon Voyage." Tuffnut said, enjoying the different ways to tell the chief that Hiccup was gone.

"I can't believe it! He was told to stay, and he's chosen to leave. Astrid, you and the others are to go find him, drag him back here, and I better not find out you went to help him or so help me I will bring the wrath of Thor on all of your heads!" Stoick bellowed as he stormed out of the hall.

"Come on gang, pack your things and meet up at the dragon stalls in half an hour. We have a lot of ground to cover if I'm going to strangle Hiccup anytime soon." Astrid cracked her knuckles, making the others wince in sympathy for Hiccup's doom. Off in the distance, Hiccup felt a shudder go up his spine, wondering if he should feel afraid right at the moment.

Hiccup was currently crouching in some bushes with Toothless, watching as some of Viggo's men gave gold to a trader in exchange for some high-quality weapons. He had been on the island for about three days before he finally spotted some of Viggo's men, confirming he was in the area. He had been flying at night, looking for any clues as to where the man could be, but so far had not had any luck. Now that his men were here, he could implement his plan and try to finish things once and for all. The only problem was his plan had holes in it, and he wasn't ready to do anything until he was certain that Viggo was nearby. Time was running out though as Hiccup was certain that his father had discovered his disappearance and that his friends would have been looking for him already. He couldn't afford to be caught by them, not when he was so close to achieving his goals.

Hiccup followed the men back down to the beach when they were done with their transaction, maintaining his distance so he and Toothless wouldn't be spotted. The men were relaxed and swapped tales and laughed as they carried their new purchases back to shore. Once they were loaded up, the men rowed their small dingy back to the main ship about three miles out at sea. Hiccup used his telescope to quickly scan the dock while the men rowed, looking for confirmation that Viggo was on the ship. So far, he hadn't seen him, and he hoped that the shipment of supplies would bring him into view if he was on the boat. Twenty minutes later, the supplies were being brought on board and inspected by the man in charge at the moment, but still there was no sign of Viggo. Frustrated, Hiccup let out a growl and slammed his telescope shut before laying on his back on the ground. Toothless looked at him, confused at the behavior of his friend.

"It's no use Toothless. Viggo is too smart to show his face, no matter how much I wish he would. How are we going to find someone who is always one step ahead of us?" Hiccup moaned covering his eyes with his arm as thoughts swirled through his head. We've searched every boat we came across, did patrols at night, listened to conversations at the pubs, and just when we find his men, he isn't even on the boat that brought them!" Hiccup complained. "Why is life so unfair?"

Toothless simply shrugged his shoulders and curled himself next to Hiccup, folding his wing over his head to try and get a nap. There was no point in getting upset over something they had no control over and Toothless felt that was best expressed by sleeping. He was tired after the long night flight and would use any excuse to get some rest. Hiccup looked at his friend and decided the best plan was to try and sleep. He knew it would be another long night of ship hunting since they hadn't found Viggo. Sighing, Hiccup closed his eyes and leaned against Toothless before falling asleep.

"Sir, the boy has spotted us as you predicted and followed us back to shore. He seems to be alone; we didn't see any of the other riders. What would you like us to do next?" Viggo's man asked as he handed over the inventory list from the earlier purchases.

"Nothing. Yet. Let's wait and see what he does. In the meantime, I want everyone to pretend that they don't know he's here. He'll come out soon looking for me and that's when we'll strike. Chances are he'll fly at night, so I need our best men awake tonight. Switch the shifts so they can be ready." Viggo ordered, his back to the man as he surveyed the map of islands in front of him.

"Yes sir." The man left, closing the door behind him. Viggo picked up a knife and glanced at it appreciatively. Then he flung the knife into the nearby wall, his anger getting the best of him.

"Hiccup, you better prepare for the worst." Viggo said to himself. He picked up the Dragon Eye, finished writing down the notes he had been writing, and placed both the Dragon Eye and the notes in a chest. He then carried the chest down to the bottom of the ship where it was dark and damp. Behind some barrels of fresh water, there was a secret spot where he could store the chest and not have it detected as the cover of the hole blended seamlessly with the rest of the boards. Once the chest was hidden, Viggo went back up on deck, ensuring his back faced shore in case young Hiccup was observing the ship. He didn't want the game to be given up so quickly by revealing himself to the teenager. After all, half the fun of hunting his prey was leading them into the trap.

Hiccup woke with a start, having heard a branch snap nearby. Between his hunt for Viggo, possible capture by various enemies, and possible discovery by his clansmen, Hiccup had been very jumpy. He waited and listened for other signs that someone was sneaking up on him, but none came. With a sigh he leaned back into Toothless, rest now out of his reach. He looked at the sky and guessed he had been asleep for about two hours. It would have to do as the sun began to set. He wanted Toothless to sleep a little longer, so he decided to go find some food and clean himself up before their flight. He went to a nearby stream that he and Toothless had discovered two days back and used the water to freshen himself up. Feeling more awake and cleaner, he picked some nearby berries for a snack while he checked the animal snares and traps he had set up nearby.

A fat rabbit was in one of the traps and a squirrel in another. Satisfied, Hiccup took the animals back to camp, cleaned them, and set them over a small fire he made, waiting for the dragon to wake. About ten minutes later, the dragon woke up from the smell of cooking meat and smacked his lips in anticipation of the cooked meat. Hiccup tossed him the squirrel, which he swallowed in one bite, and munched on the rabbit while Toothless went to find some more food. Night fell quickly and the fire was put out to avoid detection by unwelcome guests.

"Ready to fly Bud?" Hiccup asked once he felt it was dark enough to fly.

Toothless bounced up and down in response before turning his body so Hiccup could climb on. Smiling, Hiccup swung himself onto the dragon and leaned forward as they were thrust into the air by Toothless' eagerness to stretch his sore muscles. They soared for a few minutes before Hiccup got down to business. They glided across the sky, staying amongst the clouds to avoid detection and possibly having someone shoot at them. They searched the entire harbor for new ships but found the same ships they had seen for the last three days. Then they flew around the island, looking for anyone hiding in a secretive spot. Again, they came up empty-handed. Frustrated, Hiccup was about to give up for the night when Toothless turned his head, listening to a sound Hiccup could not hear. Suddenly Toothless began to growl and changed their flight path towards the source of his agitation.

"What is it Toothless? Is it Viggo?" Hiccup asked. Toothless only growled in response as he took them back towards a boat they had explored earlier in the night. It was the same boat that Viggo's men had boarded. Hiccup's suspicions rose as he realized that there was a chance Viggo could _actually be on the ship_. "Take it slow Bud, we don't want to give away our presence." Hiccup whispered as they flew lower to the water. "We're just checking to see if Viggo is actually here, remember?" Hiccup asked his friend as they checked the deck of the boat from above. It was quiet and dark on the boat, not a single guard could be seen. Confused, Hiccup moved them closer to the boat, wondering why the ship seemed to be abandoned.

The sound of a net cannon being fired had dragon and rider swerving away from the boat in the blink of an eye. They had been spotted! Hiccup quickly ordered Toothless to fly higher to avoid both nets and arrows being shot at them. The men on deck quickly lit their torches and their arrows, ready to shoot the rider out of the sky if he came close enough again.

"Good evening Hiccup! It's been a while since our last chat, has it not?" Viggo asked as he came on deck.

"Viggo! I knew I'd find you." Hiccup snarled, holding Toothless back as the dragon tried to fly towards the man they both detested.

"I'm so glad you stopped by. It had been rather boring on that island your father dumped me on. How is your father doing by the way? He must be pretty upset that I escaped." Viggo taunted.

"How did you escape?" Hiccup demanded.

"Now now, you know I never give away my secrets." Viggo smirked. "By the way, does Stoick know you're out here by yourself? He didn't strike me as the kind of father to let his child stray into dangerous situations."

"Of course he knows I'm out here! He's the one that sent me to find you so I could deal with you myself." Hiccup bluffed angrily.

"Ah, but I have a feeling Stoick doesn't know where you are. Why would he only send one rider to deal with me, especially the person who is next in line to be chief of Berk? No, I have a feeling you are out here for your own reasons. Viggo laughed as Hiccup became furious.

"What do you know? You're nothing to me!" Hiccup shouted.

"Well, I'm sorry to hear that. I thought we got along quite well the last time we were together. In fact, I'm planning to visit Berk soon, so we can have another chance to spend some time together. But while this has been fun, I really must be on my way. I have a whole fleet to prepare before I can come visit and you really should return to your father." Viggo signaled his men and they began firing at Hiccup and Toothless, preventing the two from doing anything to their boat. Hiccup realized he would need a new plan if he was to take Viggo out and quickly. Retreating for now, he and Toothless flew back to the island they had found Viggo's men on earlier in the day.

Once they landed, Hiccup watched from shore as the ship moved further away from the island until it disappeared from sight. Frustrated and disappointed in himself, Hiccup grabbed a nearby rock and threw it into the ocean. He grabbed another and threw it again, taking his anger out in the only way he knew how without alerting others of their presence. After throwing about ten more rocks, the panting teen fell to the sandy floor, wondering how things could get any worse for him. That's when he spotted his friends flying over him. Groaning, he quickly moved himself into the nearby trees, praying to Thor that he had not been spotted. Unfortunately, dragons relied on more than sight to find their target and landed on the beach before following the sand trail he and Toothless had left in their hurry to get out of sight.

"Hiccup! I know you're there! You have three seconds to get out here before I hit you so hard, you won't wake up for a month!" Astrid threatened as she jumped off Stormfly and approached his hiding spot with her axe in hand.

"Alright, alright! I give!" Hiccup said with hands in the hair as he came into the open.

"What the hell Hiccup?! We've been looking everywhere for you! Your father is furious, he is about ready to tie you to the mast of the ship, and you left without us!" Astrid snarled as she prepared to swing her axe at his head.

"Look, I know you're upset. Probably all of you are, but I had my reasons for not bringing you with me." Hiccup replied, watching as Astrid's eyes narrowed further.

"Hiccup, we're your friends and your comrades. If you can't trust us to watch your back, what's the point of having dragon riders?" Fishlegs asked with a wounded expression on his face.

"Yeah! What about all those stupid teamwork drills you made us do? Are those just to keep us busy or actually be of use to us?" Snotlout demanded. "You turned your back on us and we had to deal with the mess you left!"

"I'm sorry. I just didn't want to see any of you get hurt!" Hiccup replied angrily. "Do you know what's it like to know you're responsible for other people, people that trust you, and know that the choices you make mean they might not come home in one piece, if at all? Do you know how scary that is? I don't want to explain to any of your families how I could have gotten you killed!"

"What about us Hiccup? Do you think we want you to get hurt? Do you think we want to be the one to tell your father, our chief, that we couldn't protect you because you left us behind and we weren't there to watch your back? How is that any fairer?" Astrid yelled. "Your always worried about others, but never about yourself! But you fail to realize how we feel when YOU are the one who gets hurt. I hate it. I worry and I blame myself that I could have done more and then I worry some more!" By this point, Astrid was livid at Hiccup, all she wanted to do was beat him to a pulp. Sensing her anger, Stormfly trotted over and placed her head on Astrid's shoulder to provide some comfort and distract her rider from her feelings. Astrid accepted this gesture and stroked Stormfly's head.

"We have to go back to Stoick, Hiccup. And you're coming back with us." Snotlout ordered. "We aren't going to be the ones to explain to your dad that we found you and then didn't bring you back." Hookfang growled in agreement, his flames igniting his whole body to show he was serious. Toothless gave a warning growl at the act of aggression.

"Fine. I need to tell him I found Viggo anyway." Hiccup huffed as he jumped on to Toothless' back.

"You found Viggo?" Astrid asked, her head snapping up at this revelation as she stared at him.

"Yeah, I did. Now if you'll excuse me." Hiccup was up in the air, glad to distance himself from his friends. He felt so angry and betrayed that his friends would think so little of him. He had left to save their necks and all they could do was yell at him that _he_ was the selfish one. Well it would serve them right for him to leave them out of the loop about Viggo. He wasn't sure if he should even tell his father, seeing how he didn't even want the riders on patrol. However, he knew it was in the village's best interest, even if no one appreciated his actions anymore.

The riders flew through the night and landed at the Edge in the early morning hours to rest, exhausted and hungry. There wasn't much left of the island after the Volcano had done its job. Each rider collapsed by their dragon, for once silent as they all fell asleep, except for Hiccups who remained on guard duty. Astrid pretended to sleep but kept one eye slightly open to watch him. He looked so upset and confused, his shoulders tense as he sat there, staring towards the water. She just didn't know what was wrong with him and didn't like his behavior that he had been displaying lately. She knew he was hurting, but she didn't know how to reach out to him and help him. She had never really been the sensitive kind of person to provide that kind of support to others. She was the kind to let her frustrations out when she was training, preferring to swing an axe rather than talk about it. But Hiccup wasn't like that. He thought about his choices, talked through his plans and ideas, vented when he was upset. Except now. Now she felt isolated from him, unsure of what he would do next.

"I know you're awake Astrid." Hiccup said as he continued to stare at the water.

Surprised and embarrassed that she had been caught, she sat up and moved closer to him. "Hiccup, we have to talk. This isn't like you. You're not the kind of person to leave us out of your plans or to be so angry."

"So now I don't have the right to be angry?"

"That's not what I said. I keep trying to reach out to you, to help you, and you keep pushing me away. I don't know what's wrong, but everything I say seems to make you madder."

"That's because you keep acting like I'm going to break! You look at me with pity, agree with my father that I should remain next to his side like a toddler, and don't support any of my choices anymore. We used to be a team and now I feel like I did before I met Toothless. You don't know what it was like to be the 'failure' of the village; to have everyone look at you like you were a waste of space. I can't go back to that Astrid. I won't be treated like that again." Hiccup vented, staring at her.

"Hiccup, no one will ever see you like that again. We were cruel to you and I've had to accept that, but you've changed and so have we. You're our leader, our friend, our protector. We would gladly follow you into battle and we have every single time. Except now. You chose to leave us behind." Astrid said.

"That's because I don't want any of you to get hurt. You weren't there with Viggo. He won't hesitate to kill any of you to get to me. I won't let him toss any of you aside for his own agenda."

"But what you're doing is out of revenge and anger and hurt, not because of your village or your responsibilities. It's tearing you apart and changing you into someone I don't recognize anymore. You used to share things with us, all of us. You used to plan with us, talk with us, allowed us to help. Why can't you do that now?"

"I… don't know. I just want to make sure Viggo never hurts any of you."

"You can't do that when you run away and force us to chase you across the ocean. That leaves Berk vulnerable and puts us in the danger you fear us facing. You have to work with us as a team. We've always defeated Viggo when we were united."

"But some of us are going to get hurt. Viggo isn't just bringing one or two ships, he's bringing his whole armada! Hundreds of men, weapons, dragons. And we have to fight them, kill them, all because Viggo doesn't want to face us, to face me, and settle this. It's cowardly!"

"It is, but we can do it if we work together. Please Hiccup, just trust in us. Talk to us. I miss you." Astrid whispered, hugging her knees to her chest.

"I'm sorry Astrid. I just… I'm upset and confused, and I don't want to lose you."

"You won't. I promise." Astrid said, leaning into his side. Hiccup sighed and wrapped his arm around her, pulling her closer. She snuggled into him, sighing, glad that she seemed to at least have opened his eyes to see she and the others would always be there for them. Content for now, she closed her eyes and was soon asleep, unaware of the world and its troubles.

Hiccup stared down at her, watching as she slept, a small smile on her face. It hurt him to hear how she had been suffering because of him and he vowed to try harder to include her in his thoughts. Then he returned his gaze to the ocean, thinking of what they would do when Viggo finally came to Berk. He knew he didn't want to kill Viggo, it went against everything he had done in the past when dealing with enemies, but this was different. This was personal. He couldn't let Viggo live after the threats he had made, the actions he had taken. He wouldn't stand by and watch anymore. This would be the first time he would kill to save those he loved, not because he had no other choice. He would have to harden his heart and accept that there was no alternative. His decision made, Hiccup pushed all his thoughts away and simply pet Toothless who lay near him, snoring.

Two hours passed and Hiccup woke the others up, saying they could rest back at Berk. They groaned and moaned, but quickly climbed onto their dragons and flew the remaining distance to Berk. Hiccup flew behind the others instead of leading them, feeling he didn't deserve that spot right now. He also wanted to fly at a slightly slower pace, knowing his father would wring his neck once they returned. He wasn't looking forward to that conversation, but he knew that would be the consequence when he left the island in the first place. They finally arrived at Berk at night, the torches lighting up the village and showcasing the strength of the village with all of the changes they had made.

Walls were up, long-distance weapons could be seen everywhere, villagers walked with weapons on them, spikes protruded from the buildings and the ships were loaded with more weapons. Lookouts were found at every possible location in the village and a few were outside the village as well. Hiccup was impressed, never really seeing the village so fortified, even when they used to have the dragon raids. Hiccup was proud his father had done such a fantastic job with the village, feeling guilty that he had yelled at him about not taking Viggo seriously. The group landed in the square, everyone watching as Hiccup strode up to the main hall, Toothless following him. They entered together, ready to face the wrath of Stoick.

"Dad." Hiccup said as he approached the chief who was facing away from him, looking at the maps on the table. Immediately Stoick whirled around, fury on his face.

"What do you have to say for yourself?! You left without a permission, sabotaged the village and hindered us from completing our work, went without protection or telling anyone where you had gone, and had us all worried!" Stoick vented, staring at his son.

"I'm sorry. I wanted to keep the village safe and felt confronting Viggo was the best option. If he came to Berk, others would get hurt or killed and it would be my fault because we know Viggo is coming for me. I didn't want that to happen and I felt it was best if I went alone to avoid being detected. It didn't work. He still found me and made sure I knew he was coming whether I wanted him to or not. I realized I've been a jerk and I've been selfish, but I didn't want anyone to suffer because of Viggo's vengeance on me." Hiccup replied, looking down at his feet. "Astrid already chewed me out on the way here if it helps you feel better."

"It does and I will thank her later. She at least has a thinking head on her shoulders. Why couldn't you trust me to take care of this?"

"Because you shouldn't have to take care of my problems. I'm not a child anymore! Yet people still seem to think it's okay to treat me like one!"

"Son, I would take care of any of your problems because I love you, I'm your father no matter how old you get, and I'm your chief. Until the day you take over, I will always be the one to help you with any of your problems. That's my job, but more importantly, it's my choice."

"I'm sorry dad. I just…." Hiccup fell silent, his emotions getting the best of him. He was scared and he didn't want to face it, but Stoick knew what Hiccup was feeling, having had the experience of dealing with his own fears every time he led the village into battle or let his son leave the village without him. There was always the chance of someone getting hurt or killed, but it was part of being a chief and making decisions to protect the whole village and not each individual person. Hiccup would have to face this now and learn how to cope with his feelings if they were going to be successful in this battle.

"Son. Loot at me. People _will_ get hurt. People _will _die. But not everyone will. There are less casualties when we fight together than when we fight on our own. Yes, it will hurt when the battle is over and we send the dead to Valhalla. But their memories will remain with us, and that is the greatest honor we can give them. You have to learn that there is no easy way to settle this. Men like Viggo can't help but pick a fight because they love to see others suffer. You're an open book for Viggo and after what he did to you, he knows this has become even more personal. And he's enjoying it. You have to let go of your vendetta for him and look at this as how to protect the village." Stoick placed his hand on his son's shoulder, Hiccup finally looking him in the face.

"How can I lead others to their potential deaths? How can I ask anyone to risk their life to save mine?" Hiccup asked. "How is that fair?"

"You aren't asking them to risk their life for _you._ You're asking them to fight _with you._ Remember that. You are fighting for the village, and they choose to fight with you to protect the village. Some will say it's to protect you, but that's not the real reason. It never is and that's important to see that the village is greater than you. There will always be another chief, but there will never be another Berk if it is destroyed. Now, let's put our anger and hurt aside and come up with a plan that will finish Viggo once and for all." Stoick said, sweeping Hiccup into a hug.

"And don't you dare pull a stunt like you did before ever again or I'll have you moved into the cells for the next three years!" Stoick finished as he put Hiccup down and ruffled his hair, smiling.

Hiccup chuckled nervously as his dragon nudged him from behind, glad that father and son had made up.

"Sir, the fleet is ready at your command."

"Excellent, set sail for Berk. We have things to finish there." Viggo said as he looked at the Dragon Eye he had brought back to his cabin once he was sure Hiccup had left for Berk. He began fiddling with the dials, but had so far no more luck at discovering anything new. "Hiccup, you are going to see what happens to those who defy me." Viggo placed the Dragon Eye on his desk and returned to the deck, watching over his men as they set sail for the village he set to destroy.

"Chief! A whole fleet of ships are coming from the North!" A lookout yelled from his perch, alerting the whole village.

"Alright! Everyone knows what to do! Remember, we fight for Berk! We won't allow anyone to take our homes from us! Watch each other's backs and no one kills Viggo!" Stoick yelled as he marched through the square to the dragon riders.

"Now remember, you six are to take as many ships out without getting hurt or captured. Viggo will not hesitate to kill any of you. If the situation is too dangerous, you are not to take ANY risks! You are to return here and we'll come up with a new plan. Is that understood?" Stoick asked, looking each rider in the face before leaving his gaze on his son.

"You can count on us chief!" Fishlegs said, saluting Stoick before patting Meatlug.

"Finally, we get to see some action!" Ruffnut cheered as she jumped on to her dragon's neck.

"Yeah, things were getting boring here." Tuffnut echoed his sister's sentiment.

"I can't wait to see their faces when they catch sight of Hookfang and all of our glory! Don't expect me to save any ships for you!" Snotlout boasted before Hookfang set his pants on fire, causing the Viking to run screaming to a nearby bucket of water, holding his rear in pain. "Hookfang!"

"We've got this. We won't let you down." Astrid said, tightening her armor.

"We'll be safe. I promise dad." Hiccup said as he lowered his face guard.

All the dragons launched themselves into the air, the villagers cheering as they flew off. They knew the riders were capable of putting a dent in the armada and that any ships they took down helped them in the future as that would be less men they would have to face. They quickly went to their posts, ensuring everything was ready and supplies were nearby. The women who were unable to fight escorted the elderly and the children to the caves at the base of the mountain, ensuring no one was left behind. Stoick quickly walked around the village, making sure everything was ready. Then they all watched the riders, having nothing left to do but wait.

"Alright gang, here's what we are going to do. Ruffnut and Tuffnut, you will take the left side of the ships. Snotlout, you'll back them up as you can set fire to the gas with Hookfang if they can't. Watch each other's backs. Astrid and Fishlegs, we'll take the right side. Each team will make sweeps between the ships, going left to right so that we can take out the middle ships as well. Be careful of their weapons, we can't afford for the dragons to be struck by dragon root. Does everyone understand the plan?" Hiccup asked as they got closer to Viggo.

"Yeah, but what if we see Viggo?" Fishlegs asked, scared of this possibility happening to him.

"Leave him to me." Hiccup ordered, fury plastered on his face, even though no one could see it under the mask.

"You mean us!" Astrid said, looking him in the eyes.

"Yes, I meant us." Hiccup agreed, grateful for the reminder that they needed to work as a team.

The riders flew closer, seeing that the amount of ships kept growing. Fishlegs began to whimper as he counted them. "66, 67, 68…. Hiccup, how are we going to stop all of these ships?"

"We aren't. But we are going to try and take out as many as we can. The more we can sink, the less the village has to deal with." Hiccup said as they arrived within shooting range. "Gang, split up!" Hiccup ordered.

"Woohoo!" Ruffnut and Tuffnut shouted as they swerved Barf and Belch to the first few ships. They released the gas as the men shot at them avoiding the arrows as they weaved back and forth between the ships. Once they were ready, they lit the gas while Snotlout and Hookfang lit the sails on fire. "Oh yeah! Snotlout, Snotlout, oi, oi, oi!" He cheered as he and Hookfang went for the next set of ships.

"Come on Meatlug! Blast right at the waterline." Fishlegs encouraged the slow dragon, who shot her lava globs with perfect precision. The boats began to take on water and the men onboard began to panic as they jumped over the railing. Hiccup and Astrid worked together to cut the ropes holding the sails up and Stormfly and Toothless shot their fire blasts at the decks, causing more chaos to ensure.

"Nice shot Milady!" Hiccup yelled as he flew by her, aiming his sword at the next set of sails.

"Thank you!" She shouted as she jumped off of Stormfly, ran along the beam holding the sail up on the ship she was on, sliced the ropes, and kicked the lookout from his perch, sending him crashing to the deck. She continued to run and jumped back onto Stormfly with a flip, laughing as she went for the next ship.

"Sir, the riders are sinking our ships too quickly. We won't make it to Berk in time unless we do something!" Viggo's messenger reported.

"Very well, switch to plan B." Viggo ordered, watching from his spyglass. The messenger quickly raised a red flag, alerting the fleet to change tactics. The ships received the signal and quickly switched tactics, splitting up into groups of three and sailing in different directions to Berk. They were now able to start firing at the island and began catapulting their flaming projectiles at the island, hoping to set it on fire.

"Hiccup, the fleet is splitting up!" Astrid yelled as she cut another set of sails.

"Fishlegs, we are heading back to Berk. Let's get the others and go!" Hiccup ordered, dodging an arrow shot at his face.

"Oh thank goodness!" Fishlegs exclaimed, flying high up into the sky. The trio left the ships behind them as they went to collect Snotlout and the twins.

"Guys, we're heading back to Berk." Astrid shouted as she watched the trio wreck havoc on another ship.

"But we're having so much fun!" Ruffnut whined as she watched her brother start the explosion of fire from their dragon.

"Come on! You can still fight from Berk!" Astrid demanded as the twins watched their handiwork.

"Who made you the boss?" Snotlout demanded as he flew next to her. Astrid growled at him, making him yelp and fly to the other side of the group to avoid being hit by her. "Hiccup, Astrid's way too scary, can't we replace her with someone else? Someone who appreciates my talents!" Snotlout asked.

"Enough! Fight with each other later. We have to help Berk!" Hiccup yelled, watching the ship launch their projectiles.

"Fire!" Stoick yelled as he watched his men shoot their crossbows at the ships. The villagers cheered as they sunk two ships, reloading the weapons for the next set. "Those men will be here soon, I want everyone who is not on crossbows to grab their weapons and prepare to face them. We need three groups, one for each set of ships." Stoick grabbed his own sword and shield, ready to fight.

"Dad, we can't split up to take all three groups of ships. There's not enough of us. What do you want us to do?" Hiccup yelled from above.

"Take the group of ships that are the furthest from here. We won't reach them in time when they land. I'm sending reinforcements now that can support you. Be careful!"

The riders set off for the Southern end of Berk, watching as the ships landed on the beaches and began to unload their men. They quickly set off into the trees, blocking the riders ability to get close to them from the air. That didn't stop the riders who quickly set their ships on fire and then sent a signal by having Stormfly screech loudly. All around Viggo's men, wild boar began to run at the men, their tusks gouging the unfortunate men in the legs, the arms, and their guts. The lucky few who managed to kill the boars that chased them quickly ran yelling into an open field, having been led into a trap. Fishlegs immediately had Meatlug burn through a nearby rope, burning it and causing it to scoop the men up into nets. Wailing their heads off, the men began to wet themselves as Hookfang flew down, grabbed the net and headed back to the village to drop them off to be taken to the cells. Snotlout had jumped behind Astrid, choosing to stay and fight since he knew Hookfang could handle the men until he dropped them off at the village. The remaining men charged across the field, confident that there were no more nets to scoop them up.

"Stop them!" Hiccup ordered as he dropped down from Toothless' back. The others followed his orders and quickly engaged in battle while the dragons fired at the enemies from above, careful to avoid their riders. Astrid swung her axe like a madwoman, clunking two men in the head and then running at another who swung his sword at her chest. She switched her tactics and slid between his legs, kicking him from behind in his most sensitive area, causing the man to blackout from the pain. She grabbed her axe and went for the next man, who had witnessed the low blow and ran screaming for his life as the Viking maiden chased him.

Snotlout was punching anyone he could grab in the face, knocking teeth out, breaking noses, and overall making them wish they had never stepped foot on the island. He preferred to settle this like a man, without the aide of weapons. Just as he knocked the living daylights out of a guy, Hookfang fired a shot directly behind Snotlout, having returned from delivering the men to the village. "Watch it Hookfang!" Snotlout yelled before turning to find his next opponent. Instead, he saw a man currently on fire and screaming. He had tried to sneak up behind Snotlout and take him out, but Hookfang had spotted him and successfully caught him on fire.

The twins were twirling about, a deadly tornado of weapons, hitting anyone who got to close. They flipped and tumbled, confusing the men and making them dizzy as they dashed from one spot to the next, laughing. "Isn't this great Ruffnut?" Tuff asked as he clunked another man on the head. "Indeed it is dear brother." She responded, flipping over another man and striking him from behind.

Fishlegs was currently choosing to hang back, hating having to fight and quite frankly was scared out of his mind. Instead, he would whistle at Meatlug and throw a rock at a man, who would duck to avoid the rock, only to have a dragon squish him as she tried to get her favorite snack. "Alright Meatlug!" Fishlegs cheered as she munched away while sitting on the current person. Once finished, Fishlegs would throw another rock, sending her to her next target.

Hiccup was a blur, dodging blows, delivering his own, and running around the group to make sure everyone was safe. He watched as Astrid gracefully took out three men at once, remembering why he loved watching her fight. The distraction nearly got him struck in the back of the head by one of Viggo's men, Hiccup quickly turning at the last second and spotting him, rolling out of the way. "Get back here boy! Viggo wants to have a chat with ya!" The man taunted, swinging his club at Hiccup.

"Sorry, I'm not interested at the moment." Hiccup replied as he held his shield in front of him. Just then Toothless fired a shot at the man, knocking him out. "Nice one Bud!" Hiccup yelled, the dragon cooing at the praise before flying to his next target.

Despite the riders ability to fight and work together as a team, there were still too many men for them to face and some ran past the riders, heading to the village. With their hands full, the riders could only hope the reinforcement troops would cut them off before they reached the village. As they continued to fight, they began to tire and received small cuts and bruises as new men appeared.

"How many of them are there?" Snotlout complained, wiping blood off his face from the cut above his eye.

"I'm not sure, but we can't give up. We have to protect the village." Hiccup yelled holding his right arm which had just been sliced open by a vicious looking brute who towered over the teen by a good foot.

"Hiccup, we have to regroup. There's too many of them." Astrid yelled as she clunked two heads together, sending both men to the ground groaning in pain. She was limping from a hit she took as a man had swung a club at her earlier. Luckily nothing was broken, but the leg was severely bruised.

"Hiccup, I have to agree. Meatlug and I are almost out of ammo." Fishlegs shouted, having to run away from a man who was chasing him as he threw rocks behind him, trying to have Meatlug help him."

"I could still go on for hours." Tuffnut boasted as he picked up his sister and spun her in an arc, knocking several men to the ground.

"Well I can't!" Ruffnut exclaimed, catching her breath.

"Alright, everyone back to their dragons. We'll have to fly to the next location." Hiccup signaled the dragons to come down, jumping onto Toothless before shooting into the sky, leading the others to the next location full of traps. Below them, they could see the reinforcement troops had intercepted some of Viggo's men, but that there were more men running towards the village. Hiccup didn't want to think of how many were injured or dead already, instead he grabbed some bandages from his bag and quickly wrapped up his arm as they flew.

"Hiccup, there are still a lot of ships on the island." Fishlegs commented as they flew.

"We have to focus on stopping the men from reaching the village. However, we can't afford for them to regroup on the ships either. Astrid, can you and the twins handle the ships?" Hiccup asked, looking at her.

"Yes. We'll take care of them quickly and meet you at the next spot." Astrid steered Stormfly to the next location of ships that had landed, leading the twins so they wouldn't get lost. Hiccup watched as the first ship exploded before turning his attention back to the task at hand.

"Alright men, they're coming." Stoick yelled as he faced the northern gate. His men aiming their bows and his swordsmen holding up their shields. Viggo's men came charging through the gate, yelling, as they crashed through and started fighting the villagers. The Berkians fought with anger, slashing and shooting as if possessed. Blood fell to the ground as both sides were injured. Stoick was in the middle of the battle, quickly cutting men down and helping those who were being overwhelmed by numbers. As chief, his job was to protect as many men as he could to ensure their village survived to see another day.

"The Western gates are being breeched!" A lookout shouted, signaling the men on that side to prepare to fight.

With two gates being flooded with men, the Berkians were soon surrounded by the enemy on two sides, but they continued to fight, knowing that there was no other choice if they were to succeed. Arrows and crossbows flew into the crowd, most hitting Viggo's men, but a few hitting Berkians by accident. Stoick could see his people were tiring and quickly signaled Gobber to implement plan B. Gobber raised a blue flag and the villagers at the main hall began rolling giant stones down the stares, followed by logs, and then began catapulting flame-covered arrows at the men below. The Berkians dodged to the sides as the stones and logs came crashing into the square, squishing most of Viggo's men or sending them flying backwards. Many of them were injured or dead and Stoick quickly jumped back into the fight as the last of the rolling projectiles crashed through the square. He picked up one man and held him in the air by his shirt, the man panicking as he looked into the chief's face.

"Where is Viggo?" Stoick demanded, shaking the man back and forth.

"I don't know. He isn't here!" The man answered, terrified.

"Tell the truth. I won't hesitate to kill you!"

"I am telling the truth! He wasn't on any of the ships." The man replied, fear of dying plain on his face. Stoick used his sword hilt to hit the man in the head, knocking him unconscious, before flinging him to the side. Each man he captured said the same thing and Stoick began to contemplate if it was possible that Viggo really hadn't shown up to the fight. Would he be that big of a coward? No, more likely Viggo had another plan up his sleeve Stoick figured. But right now he needed to devote his energy to ridding the village of this scum.

"Take us to the eastern end of the island. I want us to be able to get by the fighters undetected." Viggo ordered, watching the battle from his spy glass. Half an hour had already passed, his men slowly taking over the village. He could see Stoick putting up a fight, taking down each man that faced him quickly and efficiently, but his villagers were not as capable of such a feat. The riders were doing clean up at the rear of the invasion forces, but it was slow going with the trees in their way and the climb up to the village. He could see the Berkians were tiring and knew he could proceed with the next part of his plan.

Three ships alongside Viggo sailed with him to the beaches on the other side of the island, away from the fighting. It was also harder to spot them as the mountain blocked them part of the way from the lookouts on the western side, if any were still on duty and not fighting with the rest of the village. He knew that his plan would work, as Hiccup would have to show himself to Viggo to prevent what was about to happen next. The boats landed on the beaches and Viggo's men dropped onto the sand, heading for the caves where the other villagers were hiding. Viggo knew Stoick would have removed the vulnerable from the village and that they couldn't travel far due to the elderly. This left them with very few hiding places on the island and the caves were one of the few places that could hide a large group of people.

As his men approached the caves, he watched as they peered into the entrance, not a noise could be heard. The men lit torches and began to make their way inside, only for them to scream as they were yanked inside, the torches falling to the ground and extinguishing. The other men were scared, but Viggo sent them anyways, telling them larger numbers would keep them safe. Six men went in, weapons at the ready, only to run screaming a few moments later as women came running after them, swinging swords and firing arrows. Viggo sent the rest of his men into the caves, separating the women from the children and the elderly. He had each person tied up and thrown back onto his boat, locking the villagers in separate dragon cages (one for each group) that had been hauled to the deck. Women yelled at him as they yanked babies out of their hands and gave them to the children to watch, children screamed as they were pulled by their hair if they didn't move fast enough, the elderly were practically shoved to the ground as they were thrown into their cell. All the villagers shouted curses at Viggo, but he simply turned his back to them and ignored them, continuing to watch the battle at the village through his telescope. Satisfied with his work, the men launched the ships back into the water and headed back to the northern side of the island. Hiccup was in for a surprise indeed.

"Dad, we managed to sink all the ships, now we just have to finish this fight." Hiccup reported as he and the riders landed in the village square.

"Good job. How are you all doing?" Stoick asked, punching a man in the stomach and then elbowing him in the head when he kneeled over in pain, knocking him to the ground.

"The dragons are tired and we have a few injuries, nothing major though." Hiccup said, swinging his own flaming sword at two men, sending them running in fear, only to be taken out by Snotlout and Hookfang.

"Yeah baby! Don't mess with Snotlout!" He ran yelling after more men, the twins following him as they shouted about Loki and threw smoke bombs everywhere.

"Stoick, watch out!" Gobber shouted, tackling his friend and chief to the ground as an arrow whizzed by, narrowly missing both of their heads.

"Thanks Gobber!" Stoick yelled as he got up, hauling Gobber off the floor.

Suddenly everyone froze as a horn could be heard being blown in the distance. What was left of Viggo's men began to retreat, twenty or so of them heading to the northern part of the island with the Berkians giving chase. They managed to take a few more men down before Viggo's four ships began firing at the Berkians with arrows and catapults. Viggo's men made it to the beach and quickly climbed into the life boats Viggo had sent, ensuring they made it back to the boats safely.

"Cowards!" Stoick yelled as he thumped his sword against his shield. "Come back and finish this fight!"

"That won't be necessary Stoick." Viggo yelled. "Surrender now and hand over Hiccup while you have the chance!"

"You're one to talk! Your armada is all but gone. You can either finish this fight or give yourself up!" Stoick replied.

"Dad, let us finish this. The dragons can sink his ships." Hiccup whispered as they waited for a response.

"Fine. Just don't kill Viggo." Stoick replied. Immediately the riders launched into the air, their dragons preparing to fire at the ships. Just as they powered up their blasts, Hiccup spotted the villagers and shouted, "Don't fire! Viggo has the villagers!" He forced Toothless to aim into the distance as the dragon released his shot, the others quickly following his orders, all diverting their attack away from the ships. "Pull back gang. We can't fire at them." Hiccup ordered, returning to the beach.

"You coward! Using women and children as shields to protect yourself!" Stoick shouted as he looked at the situation before him.

"Oh, they aren't for shielding. They are my bargaining chip. Hand Hiccup over and I'll release the villagers." Viggo demanded.

"Dad, let me go. You can't let him hurt the others." Hiccup demanded, approaching his father.

"Not now Hiccup. Let me handle this." Stoick ordered, placing his hand on Hiccup's shoulder to prevent him from leaving.

"Why do you want my son Viggo?" Stoick demanded.

"He's the key to figuring out this Dragon Eye. Once I unlock it's secrets, I can hunt any dragon of my choosing and sell it on the market. I will be known as the greatest dragon hunter to live. Villages will fear me and no one will defy me!" Viggo proclaimed. "Of course, there are other benefits as well, none that concern you. Now hand over your son or I start throwing villagers overboard." Viggo signaled his men to grab one of the Berkians and they quickly strode over to the cage full of children, grabbing one about five years old by the back of her shirt.

"Let me go you meanie!" She shouted, kicking and punching at the air as she squirmed about. She couldn't free herself from the guard's grasp and then began to panic as she saw them approach the side of the ship. She didn't know how to swim and knew she was in trouble when the guard dangled her over the water. She began to yell and cry, trying to grasp the man's arm with all her strength but could not do so.

"Let her go!" Hiccup yelled, trying to lunge at Viggo, Stoick holding him back.

"Is that what you really want me to do Hiccup?" Viggo asked. "It doesn't look like she can swim."

"That's enough Viggo." Stoick bellowed.

The whole village went silent and watched as their chief stood there, staring the man he detested with his whole being in the eyes. They weren't sure what their chief would do next, but neither outcome was pleasant. He could save his son and risk losing half of the village, or he could hand his son over to save their lives with no guarantee that Hiccup would return alive. Viggo smirked as he watched Stoick contemplate both outcomes, loving the dilemma he had created for the chief. He knew Stoick wouldn't risk one person over the many, no matter if the person was his son.

"Hiccup, listen to me. I'm going to send you to Viggo, but you have to try and get out of the way as soon as you're on board so we can try to capture him. You are not to fight against him unless you have no other option. Do you understand me?" Stoick asked his son quietly, looking at him with fear and regret on his face.

"I can do this dad. Let me show you that I can help protect the village." Hiccup pleaded, knowing his father had no choice but to agree.

"Don't die Hiccup. I can't lose you." Stoick said before facing Viggo. "We have a deal. I'll send Hiccup over and you will return my villagers."

Immediately the village was in an uproar. The other riders were protesting, demanding that Stoick reconsider, Astrid being the loudest of them. The villagers were of the same mind, saying any deal with Viggo couldn't be trusted. Other villagers cheered, the husbands and fathers, at Stoick's decision, knowing Hiccup could take care of himself where the women and children could not. Hiccup went to get on Toothless, but the dragon refused to let him on, protesting at taking his rider and best friend to their enemy.

"Toothless, we have to do this. I need to protect the village." Hiccup pleaded. Toothless simply growled.

"Hiccup, you can't do this!" Astrid shouted, grabbing him by the shoulders. "He'll kill you!"

"Astrid, I can't put my life above theirs. You have to let me try to save them." Hiccup replied, prying her off. "I'm sorry."

Hiccup turned back to the ocean, watching as a lifeboat was sent his way, courtesy of Viggo. Two men held crossbows, aiming at his head and heart as he climbed on board. Stoick held Astrid back as she kicked and screamed, watching as his son was tied up and sent back to Viggo. Once Hiccup was on the ship, Viggo signaled his men to set the villagers free. The guard holding the girl threw her at the other children, watching as a teen managed to catch her and break her fall. The men quickly filled the lifeboats and sent them towards the beaches, his men continuing to aim his crossbows at the Berkians in case any of them tried to fight back.

"We are leaving now. Anyone who tries to follow will end up costing dear Hiccup his life." Viggo shouted, holding his knife to the teen's neck as a warning. Hiccup tried to pull away but Viggo simply tugged him by the hair to keep him still. The riders watched as their friend was taken, Toothless screeching in agony as he paced back and forth. Suddenly Hiccup headbutted Viggo, dropping to the floor and rolling to the side as Viggo clutched his bleeding nose. "NOW!" Hiccup shouted, sending a roundhouse kick into a guard's stomach.

The riders instantly rode to his aide, firing volley after volley of flame to the ships. Hiccup dodged several blows swung at him by guards, managing to cut the ropes on his hands by raising them to block one of the blows. His hands free, Hiccup grabbed a nearby weapon from a fallen guard and began to fight back, swaying with the ship as the damage from the riders caused it to jolt from the impact. Viggo had grabbed his own sword and began to fight Hiccup, swinging viciously at the teen, no longer caring if he was dead or alive.

"You could have avoided this Hiccup. You could have gone quietly and saved yourself the agony of this futile fight. All the lives wasted in vain to save you and you throw them aside as if they were beneath your feet."

"You're wrong Viggo. I'm fighting to honor their memory. You've killed many of my friends, my family, and I won't let you get away. You will no longer hurt Berk, dragons, or me." Hiccup replied, slicing Viggo in the leg. Viggo grunted and skipped back, leaning on his good leg. Another shot made impact with the deck, the wood going up in flames, surrounding Hiccup and Viggo.

"Hiccup! Get out of there!" Snotlout yelled as he sent Hookfang aflame through the sails.

"Hiccup, he isn't worth it!" Fishlegs shouted, hovering above the deck. "Take my hand!" Fishlegs reached out for his friend, but Viggo swiped at him with his sword, forcing the rider back.

"Get out of here guys!" Hiccup yelled. "Stop the other ships." Hiccup looked back at Viggo and charged, swinging his sword. The two fought, exchanging blows. Hiccup managed to land a kick to Viggo's ribs. Viggo retaliated by punching Hiccup in the head, stunning the youth temporarily. Viggo grabbed Hiccup and launched them both over the ship railing, his hands around the teens throat as they plunged underwater.

"HICCUP!" Astrid screamed, watching as the ship and the two men sank underwater.

Viggo continued to squeeze Hiccup's throat, watching as the teen thrashed about from the lack of oxygen. He only had to make sure Hiccup was unconscious before he could surface. He still had plans for the youth and if he could keep him alive, he would prefer it. Hiccup clawed at Viggo's hands, shaking his whole body to try and free himself. His struggles became desperate as he opened his mouth for air. With one final attempt, Hiccup kicked his peg leg into Viggo's shin, black spots appearing in his vision. Viggo let go of Hiccup in shock, grabbing his leg in pain before trying to grab Hiccup again. Hiccup managed to push himself off of Viggo and kicked to the surface, gasping and coughing as he tried to intake as much air as he could. Viggo quickly swam to the surface as well, appearing a few feet away from Hiccup.

"You won't escape Hiccup. You will help me whether you want to or not!" Viggo grabbed Hiccup by the arm and chopped Hiccup on the back of the neck, knocking the teen unconscious. He began to half swim and half drag the teen to the last remaining boat, the others being sunk by the riders. Smoke, flaming debris, and waves hid them from the riders sight until he was just about to climb onto his ship. As he touched one of the ropes hanging off the hull, he felt himself being lifted into the air.

"No where to run now, eh Viggo?" Tuffnut taunted.

"Yeah! Let's see how you like being taken as prisoner." Ruffnut said as she flew Viggo to Berk. Behind him, Viggo watched as Snotlout and Fishlegs sank the last boat, Stormfly carrying an unconscious Hiccup back to the beach.

Once Viggo was tossed onto the sand, two guards grabbed him by his arms and dragged the waterlogged man to Stoick. "Take him to the holding cells with the rest of his men. I'll deal with him later. Get all the injured to Gothi." Stoick ordered as he walked over to Astrid who had landed on the beach.

"Hiccup. Hiccup!" Astrid snapped, shaking Hiccup back and forth.

"Easy lass, he's going to be fine. He's breathing see?" Stoick said, placing his hand on her shoulder and prying her away from her friend. "Let's get him back to the village so all of you can rest." Stoick scooped his son up in his arms and led the weary young warriors back to the village. The villagers were busy rounding up the last of Viggo's men and putting them in cells, cleaning up the remnants of the battle as they went. Gobber directed villagers to bring all weapons to him, both broken and new, while other villagers began to fix the holes in the walls. A line could be seen at Gothi's hut as she set about patching the injured warriors and families cheered as they were reunited. There were a few that were crying as they surrounded the dead in the village square, some having lost close family or friends. Their funerals would be held later, once the bodies were prepared. Stoick walked past all of this and left the riders to recuperate in the main hall, heading to his house, where he placed Hiccup in his bed and had Toothless light a fire in the firepit downstairs to warm up the house. He placed several blankets on his son, hoping to prevent him from getting sick as he was often known to do in times of stress. Then he left Toothless to guard his son as he went back to the village square.

"People of Berk, we have finally ended our fight with Viggo. He has been captured and our village is safe once more!" Stoick shouted as he raised his fist in the air. The villagers began to cheer, thrilled that they had won. "We have many things to do, one of them being our punishment for Viggo, but right now we must mourn those who are no longer with us." Stoick said, acknowledging those who watched him with weeping eyes. "Let us prepare for the funerals and then we will deal with Viggo." Stoick ordered.

Several hours later, several funeral pyres could be seen burning on the distant side of the island, the village of Berk watching as their loved ones were sent off to Valhalla. Those who remained behind on guard duty watched as the smoke rose, sending their prayers to the gods to watch over their fallen comrades. The people returned to Berk solemn, remembering those who had fallen in battle. Now that it was night, Stoick sent everyone their own separate way before making his rounds, ending at the prisoner cells. By now everyone in the cells had been fed dinner and most were asleep, exhausted from the fighting. Stoick stopped at Viggo's cell, looking at the man who had tried and almost succeeded in killing his son twice now. Viggo stared back at him, not saying a word, his fingers crossed together in front of his face, as if he was thinking.

"You're trial will be held in the morning. I would make peace with the gods while you have the chance." Stoick growled before storming off. Viggo didn't say a word as he left, making Stoick very uncomfortable about the situation. He returned to his house, where he found Gothi examining Hiccup. He was still asleep, but his breathing sounded funny, due to the damage Viggo had caused to Hiccup's throat when he had choked him. Bruises could be seen on his son's neck, vivid purples and blues against the pale skin. There were other bruises and cuts, none to serious. Gothi was rewrapping the cut to his arm that he had received in battle, ignoring the chief as she did so. Once she was done, she left the house, patting Stoick on the shoulder on her way out in sympathy.

"Why must I always see you like this?" Stoick whispered, watching his son. "Why can't I keep you safe?" Stoick sat down next to Hiccup's bed and placed his hands in his head before sighing. Toothless came over to Stoick and placed his head on the chief's leg, whining that Hiccup had not woken up yet. Stoick patted the dragon's head in understanding, watching as Toothless curled up right there and lay down before the chief.

"Get better soon son." Stoick said, leaning back in his chair and reliving old memories of his son's life, going over both good and bad times in his head.

The next morning, Stoick woke up with a sore back and a crick in his neck from his uncomfortable sleeping position. He looked over to Hiccup and saw he hadn't woken up yet, but figured Hiccup could use all the rest he could get. Stoick quickly cleaned up, ate breakfast, and left the house, heading to the village square to prepare for the trial. Gobber was already there, giving orders to set up the trial area and clear the streets of any debris still in the way.

"Morning Chief! How are things?" Gobber asked as he approached his friend.

"Things could be better. Hiccup hasn't woken up yet." Stoick said.

"The boy's alive and breathing. He'll be fine." Gobber reassured his friend. "We're almost ready to get started. Do you want me to gather the villagers?"

"Yes. We'll start in an hour. I'm going to make my rounds." Stoick said as he walked away, leaving the rest up to Gobber.

"Chief!" Astrid yelled, running up to him breathless. "Where's Hiccup?"

"Resting lass. He still hasn't woken up. Trust me, you'll be one of the first to know when he's awake." Stoick said. He left her standing there in the middle of the road, checking on the other villagers and making sure they had everything they needed. Once he was finished, he went back to the square where Viggo's men were all lined up and chained to each other, guarded by several men. They would be tried before Viggo, to ensure they could not cause a revolt.

"Alright. Let's get started shall we. You followed Viggo into battle, killed several people, and assisted in capturing my son. The charges are murder, kidnapping, and treason. I leave it to the people to decide your fate." Stoick declared, watching as the men began to pale.

"Kill them and be done with it!"

"Throw them into the middle of the ocean!"

"Send them to the dragon ring!"

"Hang them!"

The villagers all yelled over each other, their fury and anger consuming them as they released their hate towards the men. A few of them grabbed nearby fruit and began throwing it at the men. The guards quickly intervened and pushed the group back as they tried to land a couple of blows on the men.

"Enough!" Stoick yelled, silencing the group and causing everyone to freeze. "One at a time. Let's vote on what we want to do!"

"I say we kill them! We don't want them here on our island." Someone shouted from the back.

"Here, here!" someone else agreed.

"We throw them in the middle of the ocean to drown!" Another person shouted.

"No, we hang them and watch them squirm!"

"All in favor of throwing them in the ocean." Stoick said, counting the hands that rose into the air. More than half were in favor and Stoick gave the order to set the men in a boat. Several guards pushed the men to the docks, forcing them into the cells below. Once the ship set sail, the villagers returned their focus to the next trial at hand: Viggo.

The guards led Viggo out and the crowd went wild, shouting and screaming. Stoick tried twice to get everyone's attention before finally having to get the riders. They told their dragons to fire shots of fire into the air, causing the crown to finally quiet down. Stoick cleared his throat, waiting for everyone to finally settle down.

"Today we will decide what to do with Viggo. His charges are murder, kidnapping, treason, and trying to kill the heir of Berk." Stoick said, the villagers booing as he stared at them, saying nothing. "The last time we tried to punish him, we left him deserted on an island. That wasn't a sufficient enough punishment and as chief of Berk, I sentence him to death." Stoick grabbed his sword and approached the man. "Any last words?" Stoick asked. Viggo still said nothing, continuing to stare off into the distance. The villagers held their breath as the guards shoved Viggo to his knees and Stoick raised his sword above his head. Just as he went to swing the sword down, Stoick heard a yell.

"STOP!" Hiccup pushed his way through the crowd, approaching his father and his enemy.

"Son, he has to die." Stoick said, trying to persuade Hiccup this was the only option.

"I know." Hiccup said, surprising everyone who was listening. Even Viggo raised his eyebrows in astonishment, the only acknowledgement he had given since the trial started. "But do we really have to be the ones to kill him?"

"What do you suggest we do son? He wronged us and I won't have his crimes go unpunished." Stoick asked.

"I don't know. I just…. We shouldn't have to get our hands dirty." Hiccup replied.

"I know this is hard for you. You don't have to do it. But as future chief, the day will come when you will have to make a similar decision. I'm sorry." Stoick watched as Hiccup nodded in understanding before holding his hand out to his father.

"Let me do this then. I need to be the one to finish this." Hiccup said.

"You're not ready for this task son." Stoick answered.

"Yes, I am. I need to make sure he is never coming after me again." Hiccup responded, his hand still held out for the sword.

Stoick could see that Hiccup was hurting emotionally, but he didn't want Hiccup to have to carry this burden. He knew killing Viggo would haunt him the rest of his life, but not allowing Hiccup to kill his torturer could be even more damaging. He had to put trust in his son and allow him to make his own choices. This was something Stoick had to decide to let Hiccup take the lead and show the village that he was ready to grow up. With a look of understanding between them, Stoick handed the sword to his son and stepped back. Hiccup picked it up and for the first time faced Viggo.

"I'm sorry it had to come to this Viggo. May the gods forgive me for what I am about to do." Hiccup raised his sword, preparing to swing.

"You were a worthy opponent Hiccup. I will miss our battles." Viggo said, closing his eyes as the sword came down.

The crowd was silent as Viggo's head rolled to the side, Hiccup huffing as he watched the body fall to the ground. Feeling nauseous, Hiccup dropped the sword in disgust, stepping away from the body. No one said a word as Hiccup walked away from them, heading into the woods for some solitude. No one said a word as they watched the riders follow him at a distance, the dragons ensuring no one stopped them. No one said a word as Stoick picked up the sword and cleaned the blood off of it before putting it back in his scabbard. No one said a word until Stoick ordered Viggo's body to be removed from the square and thrown into the outlook fire at the far end of the island.

"Hiccup. Are you okay?" Astrid asked hesitantly, approaching the teen who sat staring off into the distance.

"No. I'm not." Hiccup replied honestly, hugging his knees to his chest.

"You did the right thing Hiccup. He can't hurt you or anyone else anymore." Astrid said calmly, wrapping her arms around him.

"You protected the village Hiccup. No one can fault you for killing him." Fishlegs said as he sat on the other side of his friend.

"I don't know if I could have done what you did." Snotlout said quietly, everyone watching him as he sat on the ground. "What you did wasn't brave, it was selfless. You did it for all of us." Everyone sat shocked at Snotlout's admittance that Hiccup did something he couldn't have done.

"You'll always be a hero to us!" Ruffnut said, Tuffnut echoing her sentiment.

"Just know we're here for you Hiccup. We'll always be here for you." Astrid said, leaning into him and resting her head on his shoulder.

"Thanks guys. You are the best. It'll take some time for me to get over this, but I hope you'll understand if I'm not quite ready to talk about it yet." Hiccup said, watching as his friends nodded in understanding.

It was several hours later that the riders returned to the village, surrounding Hiccup to show their support. As they walked through the village to the main hall to get some food, the villagers began to clap, showing their support for their chief-to-be and his friends who had helped defeated one of the worst villains they had faced in Berk's history. Overwhelmed by their response, Hiccup blushed as he climbed the stairs to the main hall, leading the way to a new start for the village as they ate the first of many meals together in their new era of peace.

**Author's Note:** I hoped you enjoyed the story, hopefully it wasn't too long or boring. I really tried to capture each character's personality but with so much going on in the story, I didn't always have time to include them in each scene. My main focus was Hiccup, Astrid, and Stoick so I hope I got their personalities rights as they truly drive the story. Thanks for all the support you have given me in writing these stories. I enjoy sharing my ideas but am nervous about how people will react. Until next time!


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